Buoyant bathing-suit.



J. GRIFFIN. BUOYANT BATHIN'G SUIT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 25, 19'07.

Patented Dee. 28, 1909 'MNH 1 srarnsrafriinr oFFron.

PTRICK J'. GRIFFIN. OF BOSTON.. MASSACHUSETTS.

BUOYANT BATHING-SUIT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented nee.' 2s. tooo.

Application tiled May 25, 1907'. Serial No. 37 .579.

and useful Tmprtn'ement. in lniovanty Bathing-Suits, of which the following is a speeieation, reference being' hadtherein to the .t

accompanying drawings.

The invention comprises, essentially, a

garment composed ot' two thicknesses ot' cloth or other suitable material, one inside the other butl disconnected from each other around-theI body and over the shoulders, and an air-bag eont'ained between the said two thielmesses, passing around the-body, and haring' arni-holes andupward exten sions thaty pass (also .between the said two thicknesses) over the shoulders. i

When the garment is donned by the wearer, with' the air-bag in place, and ntlated, and the fasteningsl secured', the buoyaney ot' the air-bagwill sustain the wearer when the latter is immersed in water. l

The invention is illustrated in the drawings in which latter,-

Figure l, is a tront. elevation ot.' a bathing suit having my invention embodied iu eonneetion therewith, a portion ot' the outer thickness` at' the trout beine' broken away to show the airbag'. Fig'. Q a rear elevation thereo't'. Fig'. l shows the air-bag,'se1 n1 rately. extended out` t'lat. on a somewhat larger seale than lgs.- l. and Q. Fig'. It shows the. same with its meetii'lg edges approxin'u'tted and laced topjetheeas they are in use. Fig. 5 .shows the edges of .the two thicknesses ot eloth and the intervening ail'- bag', at the lettl hand side oi. the trout opeir ing of the body-portion ot'l the garment, and illustrates the separation of sueh thicknesses t'rom eaeh other, and the position oeeupied by the air-bag' between them.

The. drawings .show a .so-ealled single.-

,iieee bathing' suit ot a `kind worn by nien and comprising' a combined shirtand trunks. Alt. l., l, are the arm-holes; at 2,12, are the short: legs; and at 3, Fig. l, 1s the front openingy extending down from the upper.

edge ot.: the garment' Aat the neek to n ear the waist.

At 4 is a. belt, extending' around the body oit' the garn'ient, and preferably attached se enrely thereto by stitches 5,5, ete. The ends of the saidbelt are button'ed or buckledto-- gether in thevuse of the'garinent. A'bntton .line ot stitching Si, .It 7.

ti shown in the drawlngs, and two or more button-holes T. T, to enable thel elt to be made to tit as tightly as may be desired. The body-portionk of the garment is co1nposed oi. two thieknesses S,` 8, as low as the belt, where they are secured together by a As previously stated, the-said thieknesses arerdiseonneeted troni eaeh other around the body of the garment. and over the shoulders. They a're .secured together by lines of stit'ehes around the respective. arm-holes, as indicated by dotted lines in Figs. l and 2 and also by a line ot' stitches l1 aroundlthe neck. Bothl thicknesses are open in front, troni the neck as far down asv may be advisable tor eon.- yenienee .ui putting the garment on the wearer, or removing the same, and the meeting' edges of each thickness overlapw't'ith eaeh other and are furnished with buttons l). 1Q.'

Fig'. l. and buttonholes t'or the purpose of fasteningl them together in Closed condition.

The air-bag, 13, shown separately7 in Figs. 3 and l, is formed ot` .suitable air-tight and 'aterproot" sheet material, preferably. though not neeessarily in alleases, sheet rubber. .lt may be. t'ormed of one single pieee', ytolded or doubled upon itself at the bottom of the bag'. or ot' two .separate halves, the marginal portions of the two thieknesses beingy seeurely united together in either ease.

lt l5 a pipe through whieh air may be. blown into the interior ot' the air-bag', sueh pipe beingy providetl in praetiee with a suitable eheek-valve (not ueeessary to be shown) to prevent out'tiow, and being seeured in place by having' its attaehiueI end inserted between the two thieknesses at one end oi" the. lair-bag'. as shown in Figs. and l.

t to is a short pipe having; an outlet valve, li', the lsaid pipe lt being' seeured in plaee between the two thieknesses at the other end of the air-bag.

The respeetive ends ot the air-baf`1` are formed with 'lacing holes'ld, 1S.

:At 1t), 19, are the rear shoulder extensions, provided withlacing holes 20, 2t). Fig. 3, and at 2l, Q1, are the front shoulder extensions, provided -with the lacing holes Q2, 22. etween the. two extensions` of eachv pair are formed the yarnrholes 23, 23, Figs. 8 and 4.

the body portion of the garment-front each other enables. the garmen't'to 'eontanrthe he separation of the. two thicknesses otlio air-bag' between suchthieknesses. The dis-y i through the connection of the said thicknesses from each other at each side of the opening at the tront enables the deliected air-bag to be inserted end-first between such thicknesses at one side of the opening and drawn around within the space between the thicknesses. By inserting the hands into the space occupied bythe air-bag the shoulderportions ot' the air-bag may be adjusted into place. and the front and rear extensions may be joined together over the'A shoulders (between the thicknesses as aforesaid) by tapes or cords 24, 24e, Fig. 4 passing through the lacing holes 20, Q0, Q2, Q2.

lfihen the garment has been donned by the wearer, the edges of the' inner thickness of cloth at the opposite sides ot' the vertical body-opening are'drawn together and buttoned up. Then the meeting ends of the air-bag are secured together by the lacing tapes or cords 25, 25, Vas in Fig. 4,

lacing holes 18, 18. After the air-bag has been inllated the meeting edges of the outer thicknesso cloth are buttoned together, and the-belt lis buttoned or otherwise Aiistened.

rlhe belt may advantageously be arranged to pass around the middle of the body of the wearer just below the ribs of thelatter, in order that by its engagement with the projecting portions of the latter the air-bag and garment may be prevented from working upward, thereby obviating pressure at the crotch.

` The opening at the front ot' the garment enables the airbag, in a deflated condition, to be withdrawn from the inflerioij space i' the garmentatter the lacings at the front and atY the shoulders have been undone, whenever necessary, as for instance when it is desired to wash the garment.

lclaii'n as my invention l. ri buoyant garment composed of two thicknesses of material separated from" each other around thebody and over the shoiilders, with'anopening and having arm-holes, :ind an iiiliatable airbag adapted to be iiiserted between said thicknesses at said opening or withdrawn thereat, extending around the body below the said arm-liolesandhavextensions at opposite sides oi ing upward separated from each other each arm-hole,

,at their upper `ends and thereby adapted to be passed upward or withdrawndownward at front and. rear, respectively, of the garment, and fas.

between the said thicknessesv passed f upper ends of each pair of extensions.

2. A buoyant garment composed thicknesses of material 'disconnected from each other around the 'body and over the shoulders, with anopening and having armholes, and an inliatablc air-bag adapted to be inserted between such thicknesses at said opening around and having upward extensions at opposite sides of said arm-holes, separated from each other at tlieirupper ends and thereby adapt'- ed to be passed upward or withdrawn downward between the said thicknesses at front and rear, respectively, .of the garment, and fastenings for disconneetibly uniting the said upper ends of each pair of extensions, and a belt passing'around the middle of the body of the wearer.

of two or withdrawn thereat, extending. the body below the said -armholes,

.tenings for disconneetibly uniting the said' 3. A buoyant garment composed of two thicknesses of material separated from each other around the body and over the slioulders, with an opening and having arm-holes, and an infiatable air-bag adapted to be inserted between such thicknesses at the said opening and .withdrawn thereat, 'extending around the body below the said arm-holes, and'having upward extensions at opposite sides of each arm-hele, separated from each ed to be'p'assed upward or withdrawn downward between the said thicknesses-at front 'andrearg respectively, otfthe garment, and .havingfi/ts ends alsofprovided with lacing- A holes, and laicingsb'y which the meeting ends of the shoulder ifextensions are secured togethei` over the shoulders, and by which the ends of the air-bag .are 'joined together.

4.'-A buoyant garment composed of two vthicknesses of material united s'o as to form Vbetween them a pocket extending entirely around the body, with an opening, and an inflatable' air-bag adapted to be inserted between -sii-eh",thicknesses at the said opening and withdrawn thereat, and extending around the body, and detachable means to secure the two ends of the said air-bag directly together. f

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature 4in presence of two witnesses-- rarrniok J. GRIFFIN.

lVtnesses:

CHAS. F. RANDALL, EDrTH J. ANDERSON.l

lother at their upper ends and thereby adapt- 

